Three ‘clowns’ arrested in Armagh

"Whos laughing now?
" photographs of clown masks posted online by the PSNI after making three arrests in Armagh.

Philip Bradfield

Published:07:30Friday 21 October 2016

The PSNI have arrested three males dressed as clowns in Armagh on suspicion of common assault.

Writing under the headline “Who’s laughing now?”, police said on Facebook that they responded to reports of males disturbing members of the public in the Mullacreevie Park area on Wednesday night while dressed as clowns. The PSNI reported on Facebook: “Well now the joke’s on them. Members of B Section tracked them down and all of them will be dealt with in relation to offences of Common Assault.” Police used the hastags “#stopclowningaround” and “#zerotolerance” on the post.

A resident from the Mullacreevie Park area told the News Letter she was walking near the play park around 7.30pm the same evening.

“All of a sudden these children came running past us screaming,” they said. “The next morning someone told me their children had come into the house the night before because they had been scared by those boys [wearing clown masks].”

Speaking about the overall issue across Northern Ireland, Superintendent Muir Clark, District Policing Command said: “We are hopeful that the clown phenomenon which has been trending on social media is starting to decline. “However, we would reiterate our warning to anyone who may be considering getting involved in this fad, that your actions could lead to very serious consequences and a criminal record.”